Your Sunday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets Yoenis Cespedes played in a minor league intrasquad game yesterday and says he is ready to go for Opening Day. He was even upbeat enough to crack a joke: “I’m not going to be able to play anymore —ever. Forever. No, I’m fine.” Michael Conforto also continues to play in minor league games. The Mets offense very much depends on Cespedes and Conforto being healthy and providing a powerful one-two punch in the lineup, Matt Ehalt writes. Dominic Smith being healthy before the Mets break camp is...

Your Saturday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links. Meet the Mets Jason Vargas’ X-rays came back negative after he was hit by a ball during Friday’s game, and he’s listed as day-to-day. Yoenis Cespedes says he’s ready to return to the Mets’ lineup on Monday. Michael Conforto took four at-bats in a minor league game on Friday. Rafael Montero is out of options, and is not making the Mets’ decisions easy with his poor pitching this spring. Jim Bowdon is not a believer in Brandon Nimmo. Jacob deGrom won’t be starting on Opening Day, but knows he earned...

PORT ST. LUCIE — Michael Conforto’s abnormal spring took a turn toward the normal Friday as he stepped into the batter’s box in a competitive situation for the first time. The setting was a back field at the Mets spring training complex and the opponent was a minor league team, but that was enough of...

The Mets could still trade their former Gold Glove center fielder. With Brandon Nimmo making a strong case to be the Opening Day center fielder and Michael Conforto progressing from rehab better than expected, Juan Lagares might be the odd man out in the Mets’ outfield. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, other teams continue to contact the Mets with interest in trading for Lagares, and the team doesn’t rule out a trade happening. Lagares’s spring got off to a late start due to a hamstring strain, but he has struggled in 22 plate appearances since he returned to the lineup,...

Conforto is making fast progress in his return from a shoulder injury. Michael Conforto “fully expects” to play in a Grapefruit League game next week, according to Mike Puma. That milestone would mark the next step of Conforto’s recovery from an anterior capsule tear in his left (rear) shoulder, as he’s progressed quickly through soft toss and live batting practice so far this spring. The injury, a unique one according to Dr. Christopher Ahmad, head of Major League Baseball’s Team Physicians Association, sidelined Conforto late in 2017, and has created lingering questions over the...